Hey PI-Fans,
Halloween’s just over, but here at Games @ PI, we’re believers that nothing is ever quite too late for Cthulhu. The great folks at Gamelyn have pushed out a brand-new Tiny Epic title, this time taking a teeny tiny swing at making a pocket sized Cthulhu game with the aptly named Tiny Epic Cthulhu and its expansion Cult of Chaos. Keeping with the theme of big games in small boxes comes an all new Gloomhaven title with the portable solo-player outing Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs, letting you take your itty-bitty board game adventure everywhere with you.
If the horror and adventure themed games don’t mesh well with you or your playgroup and you want something competitive though, there is always Coffee Rush, a comfy little action management set collection game by Korea Boardgame where competing Baristas attempt to rush around their workstations serving customers as fast as possible in order to accrue social media likes.
If any of these sounds like it’d be a blast at your table, pop on by and we’ll do our best to get you set up with the gaming experience you’re looking for.
- Kenneth, Games @ PI Manager
The Aesther recluse Hail has earned a reputation for being highly instrumental in saving the city from recurring disasters, and she absolutely hates it. She briefly considered moving, but as that would require effort, she instead just placed an enchantment on her front door: anyone who attempts to open it becomes miniaturized and therefore no longer a problem…
Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs is a standalone solo play game, with an original campaign story written by Isaac Childres, that features a playstyle similar to Gloomhaven in a fraction of the size.
Your character is one such wannabe hero who must now find a way to convince Hail to return them to their previous size.
Each scenario is a single card, pitting one mercenary against a handful of enemies with a predetermined suite of actions. Each mercenary has a hand of just four double-sided cards, but they can be used twice — both the front and the back — before they are discarded. Attacks are resolved using a die in conjunction with a modifier table, and both the table and the mercenary ability cards can be improved as you level up throughout the campaign.
Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs: 1 Players, 30 mins, Ages 14+ (Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs is a standalone that does not require the original Gloomhaven to play)
A cup of coffee sure is relaxing — for the customer. For the coffee shop, however, orders tend to pile up during peak hours, and it is no different today at Coffee Rush.
In Coffee Rush, players are baristas scrambling under time pressure to complete customer orders to increase your ratings and be recognized as the best barista. In each turn players move their Barista token the ingredient board to collect the ingredients that they need to fulfill customer orders printed on cards. Fulfilling orders earns players boosted ratings which count towards their final score. Orders that are not fulfilled in a certain number of turns become penalties, which subtract from your rating as customers become upset. Successfully fulfilling orders may also gain the player upgrades that lets them acquire new ingredients more easily.
Players take turns, going through all of the phases before the next player goes. The game continues until the end of the round when a player has acquired five or more penalty cards or the deck of Orders is exhausted. At this point, the winning player is chosen based on which barista has acquired the highest rating.
Coffee Rush: 2-4 Players, 30 mins, Ages 8+
All is not well in this seemingly peaceful town of New Arkhamoore. Cosmic horrors are emerging from the dense sea fog, plunging the cold, forgotten island town into a state of chaos.
Tiny Epic Cthulhu is a 45-minute, 1-4 player cooperative game that will immerse players in a world of spinning madness! As players navigate through the game, they must work together to translate the Necronomicon, unveil the Great Old One, and seal the portals to banish the impending horror back into the cosmic realm. To achieve this, players must tap into the madness that surrounds the town, using it to translate pages, battle against shamblers, and prevent locations from succumbing to pure horror. The cusp of madness gives players benefits like more movement, stronger attacks, and cosmic intellect. However, they must be cautious not to push their own minds too far, as the line between sanity and madness is a delicate one.In this game, madness is a valuable resource that can be used to translate pages and enhance player abilities, but excessive madness can lead to defeat.
Tiny Epic Cthulhu: 1-4 Players, 45 mins, Ages 14+
In the Cult of Chaos expansion, a wicked Cultist of the Shrine emerges, determined to thwart the players’ efforts and empower the Great Old One. This malevolent figure seeks to plunge the world into eternal chaos and darkness.
The Cult of Chaos expansion for Tiny Epic Cthulhu introduces a new obstacle for the investigators seeking to defeat the Great Old One. The Cultist of the Shrine enemy, possesses the ability to traverse various locations, casting powerful incantations and summoning his devoted followers to wreak havoc upon the unfortunate town. These loyal disciples will go to great lengths to impede your progress and obstruct your path to victory. Prepare to face the treacherous Cultist as he orchestrates his sinister plans, maneuvering strategically and employing dark magic to fulfill his nefarious objectives. Only by overcoming their malevolent schemes can you hope to restore order and prevent the world from descending into eternal darkness.
The Cult of Chaos expansion also features additional heroes to play, town locations to explore and Great Old Ones to defeat.
Tiny Epic Cthulhu: Cult of Chaos Expansion: 1-4 Players, 45 mins, Ages 14+ (Tiny Epic Cthulhu: Cult of Chaos is an expansion that requires the original Tiny Epic Cthulhu to play)
